By Stanislaus Alla
New Delhi, Jan 20, 2024: Several of us have our own bucket lists: starting with a list of places to visit, persons to meet, delicacies to relish, books to read, things to achieve, goals to realize etc. In the life of the Church, the liturgical calendar reminds of the many saintly women and men, who lived heroic and holy lives, whose lives we remember and celebrate on feast days.
There is no exhaustive or complete list of those who are in heaven, though. Not that the list is not there (it should be with Saint Peter or those who control the entry-points in heaven) but for us, limited and sinful human beings, it is impossible to figure it out. The Catholic Church declares some as saints but humbly acknowledges that there are many who are likely to escape the world/church’s attention in spite of having lived ‘good and faithful’ lives and now enjoying the heavenly embrace.
Interest in ‘hell’ has not disappeared among the Catholics (people of other religions and others as well, for that matter) and Pope Francis’s recent comment on hell only proves the point. Speaking to an Italian TV on January 14, and replying to a journalist’s question, Pope reportedly said: “What I am going to say is not a dogma of faith but my own personal view: I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is.”
Simply the mention of hell and the pope’s wish (personally and not officially, as clearly mentioned) that it be empty got many interested in the topic. Note that the Pope did not say that there is no hell. Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1035, clearly affirms the existence of hell and teaches that “those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell.”
What is intriguing is, who is in hell, and who is likely to be there! Interestingly, the Catholic Church gives us a list of Saints who are believed to be in heaven, but it does not give us a list of those who are in hell.
It is not that there is no one in it (many imagine Judas Iscariot, Hitler and other notorious sinners to be there: you can expand the list, adding the names of those who, according to you, deserve to be there, and from my side I can add those who blast music or blow horns at beyond 100 decibels) but we are not in a position to know who are there actually.
Human imagination has added its part in visualizing what must be happening to those who are in hell, how they must be suffering, and how they ought to be punished / grilled / roasted. Jesus himself speaks of the ‘unquenchable fire,’ and the others have amplified it by adding more details such as the wailing, the stench etc.
While we are free to speculate and make a wish-list of those who are likely to be in hell, or must be there, let us remember that it is God who alone is the final judge, and God alone decides whom to send to heaven and whom to hell.
The notion of hell (normally visualized in time and space) suggests that those who destroy themselves and the others deserve extraordinary and eternal punishment. The Bible reminds us that God is not only a God of Mercy but also is a God of Justice and God keeps the right to punish those who turn the lives of people in the world into a living ‘hell.’ In his Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius of Loyola proposes a meditation on hell imagining that at least fearing hell many may mend their lives.
While it is common to expect some to suffer eternally, in the Church’s history, we do have some extraordinary illustrations of those who wished that those who harmed them or the others may also be welcomed into heaven (of course hoping that they would get opportunities to repent and seek forgiveness).
Fascinatingly, St Maria Goretti prayed for Alessando Serenelli who attempted to abuse her and stabbed her. Even though she herself was suffering and was about to die, Goretti’s thoughts were with Serenelli, that he may repent and be saved rather than be condemned to hell. Miraculously, her wish is realized. Not only did Serenelli eventually repent and live a holy life, his cause is being introduced, and we can hope to see him declared ‘Blessed.’ Imagine Maria Goretti and Serenelli going for a walk together in heaven!
One of the most moving accounts is that of Dom Christian (the film ‘Of God’s and Men’ captures it well), a Cistecian monk who headed their community in Algeria. In the context of the real possibility of the monks being abducted and killed (which actually occurs on May 21, 1996) Christian wrote a letter in December 1993 in which he expresses his wish for the eventual killers:
And, also you, my last-minute friend, who will not have known what you were doing: Yes, I want this THANK YOU and this GOODBYE to be a “GOD-BLESS” for you, too, because in God’s face I see yours. May we meet again as happy thieves in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both.
It only shows how loving and magnanimous people grow up to be, by Gods’ grace. These noble and holy persons transcend the domain of anger and vengeance and punishment and wish a place in heaven, even for those who harm or kill them.
The wish that ‘hell’ be empty (the God that Jesus revealed is a God of mercy and he is free to forgive people in ways beyond one’s imagination) does not mean that we are given a licence to live unfaithfully and irresponsibly. God’s precious gift of life is to be spent faithfully, in love and service, and each is finally accountable to God.
Simply put, we need to believe that hell exists and that some deserve to be there, and, simultaneously, we can also wish that somehow all would get to go to heaven.
(Jesuit Father Stanislaus Alla teaches moral theology t Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Old Delhi.)
Very well written article Stan!
Pope Francis genuinely believes in God’s unconditional mercy. Any one who has a similar faith would not only wish but also imagine that he’ll remains empty.
God knows human nature and therfore allows us to believe in both the carrot and the stick. I have long held that the non-existence of He’ll is God’s best kept secret. An excellent write up.